


A Friend Through It All

by san_shui



Series: Araleyn College AU [9]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Family, Fear, Festus the walrus, Fluff, Future, Gay, Happy Ending, Love, Post-marriage, Thunder and Lightning, post-college, they adopted the children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29776146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/san_shui/pseuds/san_shui
Summary: When Mary had her first nightmare, Lina gave her Festus bc when Lina was having a hard time, Festus was there during it.Or – Festus is Araleyn’s little protector
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine of Aragon
Series: Araleyn College AU [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701946
Comments: 24
Kudos: 24





	A Friend Through It All

**Author's Note:**

> For one of my favorite human beings and artist: DJ!  
> Please give them a follow on tumblr (@djts-arts) and instagram (djt.s_arts)! Their art is amazing!!!  
> Thanks for the prompt dude! Hope it’s what you wanted! Love you so much!  
> Oh, I might’ve based the girls off on your Araleyn Family AU XD.
> 
> Link: https://djts-arts.tumblr.com/post/611473189148770304/another-aralyn-comic-made-this-comic-since-i 
> 
> Festus: https://images.app.goo.gl/RLRZ3iSk9FqVPBpx9
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes! Also i don’t talk toddler...  
> Lol finally finished this at 3am! Enjoy!

_CRACK!_

Catalina gasped awake from the sound outside. Blinking several times, her shallow breaths slowed to a pace, and she looked around the room. She was currently in her bed with Anne next to her. Right – she and Anne had a sleepover since Cathy was out, and Anna didn’t mind having the room to herself (saying it was better they did whatever in Aragon’s room than hers).

Catalina flinched again when lightning flashed, followed by thunder. It was known that the Spaniard preferred peace, but it wasn’t known that she had a deep fear of sudden loud noises. Although lightning was beautiful to watch, she didn’t like the thunder that came after. When one lived in quiet places, one was used to quiet more than loud. Also, Anne’s loudness was a different level, but she was more annoyed by it than scared.

Another roar sounded outside, and Catalina gripped the sheets as she tried to collect herself. Whether it was from the thunder or Catalina’s movements (though as little as she tried), Anne stirred awake. She groaned then opened an eye up at Catalina and frowned.

“Lina? What’re you doing?” she asked groggily.

“I– nothing. Just . . . watching the storm,” Catalina lied.

Anne furrowed her brows, rubbed her eyes, and yawned, then sat up and glanced at the windows then at the digital clock on the table.

“At two in the morning?” Anne observed.

“Um . . .”

Anne faced Catalina full of concern yet gentle.

“Lina, what’s going on?” Anne asked seriously.

Catalina opened her mouth but flinched at another crack – this one louder than the last. This didn’t go unnoticed by Anne, who only appeared more concerned.

“Wait . . . do you not like the storm?”

“I– no. I mean, I don’t mind it. The rain and the lightning are fine, but the thunder . . . I just don’t like loud noises out of nowhere and that can shake a building,” Catalina answered.

“Aw, Lina.” Anne tenderly took Catalina’s hands in hers. “You’re okay. Thunder won’t you. Besides, you have me now! I’m practically thunder if you think about it! Just, um, less scary, I guess?”

Catalina choked out a laugh, and Anne softly smiled.

“That’s sweet of you. But what if you’re not here?” Catalina whispered, eyes downcast at their hands.

“Oh. Then . . .” Anne thought for a moment and glanced around the room before lighting up at an idea – or object. She reached over and grabbed it then held it before Catalina, startling her a bit. “You have Festus!” Anne beamed.

Catalina blinked and let a grin grace her lips.

“So?”

“So! It can be your companion. You’re, um, support! Yeah! My stand-in, if you will,” Anne joked.

“And what do you suppose I do with that?” Catalina asked, partly teasing.

“Hug it, sleep with it, talk to it?” Anne suggested.

Catalina laughed at the last option. “‘Talk to it?’”

Anne shrugged. “It could help. Besides, our therapist said it’s better to let it out than hold it in. And that includes talking to a stuffed animal if necessary. And I deem this necessary.”

“Right . . .”

Ever since she and the others started therapy for certain reasons (except Anna but she would occasionally go) a few days ago, Catalina’s learned to be more open and vulnerable with her friends. It was a strange new experience at first (except for Kat, who’s been through therapy during high school), but they eventually warmed up to the sessions, and most importantly, faced their demons. Even though they took therapy, that didn’t mean their problems were easily solved in a snap, only that they managed to deal with them better.

Although to Catalina, something like a storm didn’t seem as major as . . . _him_. Nonetheless, Catalina sighed and faced the plushie, slowly taking it into her hands.

“You know, when we broke up, I practically clung to Festus every night,” Catalina confessed quietly that Anne almost missed it.

“You did?”

Catalina nodded and grinned at the plushie.

“Yeah. Partly because it reminded me of you, and partly because I felt bad for throwing it at the door.”

“You did what?!” Anne gaped at her.

“Ah . . . yeah. I was frustrated and hurt and it was the first thing in range so I threw it. But then felt awful and hugged it,” Catalina admitted.

“Why would you throw Festus?! It does not deserve that kind of treatment!” Anne exclaimed.

Catalina chuckled. “I know! And I’m sorry!”

“Nut-huh, say that to its face!” Anne stated.

“I’m not saying sorry to a stuffed animal–“

“Tell the plushie you’re sorry, Lina,” Anne urged.

“I–“

Thunder boomed, startling Catalina, who gripped the plushie tighter. Anne smirked, raising an eyebrow, at the sight.

Catalina sighed and looked Festus in the eyes. “Okay, I am sorry,” she said sincerely.

Anne smiled. “See? That wasn’t so hard!”

Catalina rolled her eyes. “Well I guess a perk of Festus is that it doesn’t talk back,” she teased.

“Rude! That’s it, I’m taking Festus back!”

Anne reached over to grab Festus, but Catalina leaned back, holding the plushie high up and out of reach, which led to Anne practically toppling Catalina, and the two crashed against the bed, laughing. With Catalina pinned down, Anne managed to reach Festus, but she couldn’t get him due to Catalina’s tight grip. She didn’t dare yank the plushie in fear of tearing it, so instead, Anne pleaded.

“Let go of it! You literally have nowhere else to go.”

Catalina glared. “No.”

Anne smirked and raised her other hand. Catalina’s eyes widened in anticipation.

“Anne, don’t you dare–“ but she was cut off into laughter when Anne started tickling her.

With the Spaniard’s guard down, Anne easily snatched the plushie out of her hands as Catalina had to regain her breath.

“That was cruel,” Catalina said, once she found her voice.

Anne stuck out her tongue. “But necessary. I’m not letting our child be taken care of in a harsh environment,” she joked.

“This is not a harsh environment! Wait, ‘our child?’”

“I thought that was obvious?”

“I– yeah okay,” Catalina said, shaking her head.

“Well it is, but I don’t think you should claim Festus as your child after the abuse,” Anne teased, holding the plushie to her left (away from Catalina).

“It was one time!”

“There could be more,” Anne countered.

Catalina sighed. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

Anne raised an eyebrow. “Alright, but if you do anything of that sort again, you lose your rights to Festus, and I’ll keep it forever,” Anne stated.

Catalina chuckled. “That’s fair.”

Anne smiled, handed back Festus (which Catalina cradled) then moved to lie beside her. Lightning flashed again along with thunder, but for once, Catalina didn’t flinch. Instead, she glanced towards the window.

“You okay?” Anne asked.

Catalina stared for a second then looked at Anne and gave a confident smile, nodding.

“I think so. I still don’t like the loud noise, but I see no reason to worry anymore,” she said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I have you and Festus to protect me,” she whispered.

Anne chuckled and kissed her softly. With one hand holding Festus, Catalina cupped Anne’s face with the other.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They shared a smile then snuggled into each other. A beat passed then Anne spoke.

“Hypothetically speaking, would you want kids? I mean, not with me! I mean like in general,” she said awkwardly.

Catalina chuckled and thought for a second. “Mm, I’m opposed to it. I don’t know. Would you?”

“If I can get my life together, yeah.”

The two laughed, and another boom sounded. Catalina checked the time and sighed.

“We should sleep. It’s almost three.”

“Yeah. Or we can stay up and sleep in,” Anne suggested.

Catalina chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.

“We could, but you know how I am.”

“This is a sleepover! You’re supposed to sleep in!” Anne exclaimed.

Catalina laughed. “Hmm . . . maybe.”

“Fine. I don’t care what time you get up as long as I get my sleep.”

“You sleep like a rock,” Catalina teased, which was true.

“Shut up.”

Catalina laughed and kissed her on the lips.

“Goodnight, Anne,” she whispered.

“Mm, goodnight, Lina,” Anne whispered back.

The two cuddled with Festus in the middle and dozed off.

**Six Years Later**

Outside, thunder boomed followed by a scream, awaking both Catalina and Anne. They shared a look before throwing the covers off and rushing towards the sound. Down the hallway were two bedrooms that contained two other beings – their daughters.

When they reached the first room, they peeked inside. In the corner of the room was a little girl sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Brown hair hung in front of her face and barely stopped past her shoulders. Her chocolate eyes opened to green ones.

“ _Mamam_?” she asked groggily.

“Hello, _mon chere_ ,” Anne greeted quietly. “Are you alright?”

The girl, Elizabeth blinked then nodded. “What’s going on?”

“Just the storm. You should go back to sleep,” Anne cooed.

Elizabeth frowned. “I don’t wanna.”

Anne pursed her lips. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

“But what about Mary?”

Anne turned to Catalina, who gave a reassuring smile.

“I got her. You stay here, Anne.”

Anne nodded and walked inside Elizabeth’s room while Catalina headed towards their oldest daughter. When Catalina entered Mary’s room, she was met with a heap of blankets pulled over what Catalina assumed to be a body.

“Mary?” she called out.

Slowly, the blankets lowered, and two dark eyes peered out from underneath. Catalina softly smiled and tiptoed towards her.

“Hello, _querida_ ,” she whispered.

“Hello,” Mary replied shyly.

“Mind if I sit?”

Mary shook her head, and Catalina sat on the side of the bed.

“Care to tell me what’s wrong?”

Before Mary could say, another roll of thunder hit, and Mary instantly covered herself up again. Catalina's heart tugged, and she reached over and gently pulled back the covers to see her daughter’s beautiful tanned skin and dark curls.

“Hey, you’re okay. You’re safe,” she said quietly.

Mary’s fearful eyes stared back at confident and kind ones.

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“Well, for one, the forecast hasn’t said anything major about it – yet. And the fact that the lightning and thunder are far away helps,” Catalina answered.

Mary glanced towards the windows, though pointless due to the blinds.

“I still don’t like it.”

“The storm?”

“The thunder.”

“Oh . . .”

A part of Catalina wanted to laugh at the parallel of Mary and her younger (ish) self, but she wouldn’t do that of course. Instead, she opted for a hug.

“Come here, _mi amor_ ,” Catalina said, opening her arms.

Mary’s eyes revealed themselves again, and they searched Catalina’s for a moment before instantly clinging onto Catalina, who immediately embraced her. As the storm continued, Catalina soothed her hair and whispered comforting words as Mary buried her face into her collarbone.

“You know, I used to be afraid of thunder,” Catalina confessed.

Mary perked up at that. “ _You_ were scared of thunder?”

Catalina nodded, and Mary looked more confused.

“But you’re . . . you,” Mary awkwardly said, not knowing how else to phrase it.

Catalina chuckled. “Yes, well that’s because I’ve grown used to thunder. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I can tolerate it better than I used to.”

Mary furrowed her brows. “How?”

Catalina hummed. “Truthfully, it was your mom who helped me through it. Although, I may have had some other help.”

“What kind of help?”

Catalina smiled. “I’ll show you. Come on.”

Mary reluctantly released the hug, and Catalina stood up and took Mary’s hand, and they left the room for the master bedroom. They passed the bed and went for the closest.

“Wait here,” Catalina ordered, then began to search through.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long since Catalina knew exactly where to look. Reaching for the top shelf, she grabbed a shoebox and brought it down. After peering inside, she grinned then faced Mary, who watched, complexed.

“ _Madre_?”

Catalina presented the box to Mary, who took it and opened it. Inside was a light brown walrus plushie with a white mouth and two tusks and big black eyes.

“A stuffed animal?” Mary said, confused.

For a moment, Catalina felt embarrassed, but she remained confident and nodded.

“Mary, this is Festus. It helped me get through rough nights when your mom wasn’t there, and so many other things,” Catalina said.

Mary tilted her head, analyzing the object.

“But isn’t thirteen too old for this stuff?” she asked, referring to herself.

Catalina raised a brow. “Certainly not. If you consider that too told, then how old is college age? Say about . . . 22?”

Mary gaped. “22? That’s . . .”

“Old?” Catalina filled in, amused.

“Yes!”

Catalina couldn’t help but laugh and feigned hurt. “That’s rude to say to your own mother.”

Mary giggled. “I’m sorry, but– but . . . _why_?”

Catalina shook her head fondly. “It’s kind of a long story, but to shorten it, Anne won it for me at an amusement park on our second date.”

“How come you never told me this?” Mary exclaimed.

Catalina chuckled. “You never asked.”

“Well I am now!”

“Alright alright. How about we go to my bed, and I’ll tell you,” Catalina promised.

Mary smiled, and the two snuggled under the covers – Mary holding tight to Festus as Catalina told of Festus’s origin story. All the while, the storm continued, but the two were distracted laughing. Several minutes later, Catalina neared the end of the story.

“–and even after college and marriage, I kept Festus close. Although since we’re older and that I have Anne for about forever, I haven’t really had a need for it. But now with you and Elizabeth here, this seems about a good time for it once more,” she finished.

Mary smiled and stared at the plushie. “It is cute.”

Catalina smiled but was startled when another roar sounded outside. Instinctively, Mary leaned into Catalina and tightened her grip on Festus. Catalina held her daughter tenderly and looked towards the windows, watching the lightning flash between the blinds.

“ _Madre_?”

“Yes, _mi amor_?”

“Did this really protect you?” Mary genuinely asked.

Catalina smiled softly and kissed her on the forehead.

“Without a doubt.”

Mary grinned and held the plushie before her, staring into its eyes.

“Do you think it’ll protect me?”

“Of course, but I want you to promise me something.”

Mary looked at her mother. “What?”

“Will you protect it?” Catalina requested.

Mary fervently nodded. “I promise!”

Catalina chuckled. “Good. Then it’s all yours. Oh, and do be nice with your sister if she asks for it.”

“Of course, _madre_.”

“That’s my girl.” Catalina kissed her on the forehead again.

“What’s that?” a little voice spoke from the doorway, getting the two’s attention.

Catalina smiled at the sight of her wife carrying their younger daughter.

“Are you guys cuddling without us?” Anne teased, feigning betrayal.

“Would never,” Catalina teased back.

Anne smiled and joined them on the bed. Catalina and Anne lied on the outside, their kids in the middle, and of course, Festus between them. Seeing the plushie, Anne gasped.

“Is that Festus?”

“Who else?”

Anne laughed. “It’s been a hot minute since I’ve last seen it.”

“Indeed.”

“F-Festus?” Elizabeth shyly pronounced (still learning how to speak given she’s three years old).

“Yes, _mon chere_. Festus is . . .”

“Our little protector!” Mary filled in.

Elizabeth’s face brightened, and she giggled.

“A little protector, huh?” Anne said at Catalina, smirking.

Catalina smirked in return. “Well it is, isn’t it? It hasn’t failed me once.”

Anne’s smirk softened to a smile. “I’m glad.”

“Me too,” Catalina said quietly.

“Whatcha glad about?” Elizabeth asked them.

Anne grinned at Elizabeth. “You two being ours.”

She then tickled both girls, and Catalina joined in. Soon, the whole room was filled with joy that deafened the thunder booming outside. When the laughter faded, another crack of thunder sounded, and though Mary was still frightened, she felt safer. Elizabeth, on the other hand, moved closer to Mary and ended up hugging both her and Festus.

“It’s alright, loves. You’re safe. We’re okay,” Anne reassured, and kissed Elizabeth’s cheek.

Anne and Catalina moved in tighter and wrapped their daughters into a warm embrace.

“We love you both,” Catalina said.

“Love you too, _madre_.”

“Wuv you!”

Catalina and Anne shared a smile, and the family grew sleepy. A moment later, both kids fell fast asleep. Before closing her eyes, Catalina glanced at Festus.

“Take care of them,” she whispered.

She then felt a hand grasping hers, which gave three squeezes.

_I love you._

Catalina smiled and replied the same then allowed herself to drift off to sleep – the thunder fading in the background.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted this addressed earlier, but couldn’t really figure out how, so I did it here, BUT Araleyn and the others do get therapy for the rest of their year(s) at college. I have not forgotten about the trauma they had from LISUIN, but I don’t know therapy so I figured it was better to just mention it.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Comment and kudos! Stay safe! <3


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